CHELSEA — In a neighborhood bursting with art galleries, it can be a challenge to stand out from the dozens of others lining the streets of West Chelsea. But where other galleries are showing new designs, one new art space is banking on the lesser-known legacy of a renowned artist.
Opening this week, 'Robert Rauschenberg Photographs 1949-1962' shows off the artist's early forays into photography. The exhibit features Rauschenberg's photographic experiments scrolling on a video screen that will be visible to passersby on the street.
Rauschenberg, who died in 2008, rose to prominence in the 1960s for his paintings and sculptures, often combining the two mediums and incorporating photography into those works. The photos on display have never been shown to the public before, and will also be available in a new book on the artist's time as a photographer.
The exhibition is one of the first at the new Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Project Space at 455 W. 19th St.
The gallery is housed in Rauschenberg's former art warehouse and, throughout the fall, it will host numerous programs honoring Rauschenberg's works and fostering local art.
The photography exhibition begins Sept. 16th.
